San Guillermo Parish Church · Web viewSan Guillermo Parish Church The town’s parish church located at Cabambangan (Poblacion) which is now half buried due to lahar mudflows in

San Guillermo Parish Church

The town’s parish church located at Cabambangan (Poblacion) which is now half

buried due to lahar mudflows in early 90’s and is comparable with the Cagsawa

Church in Albay, Bicol. It was constructed by the Agustinian Friars in 1576 on the

lot of Don Guillermo Manabat, a rich landlord believed to be the founder of

Bacolor. Despite being half-buried, the Church is still being used as a place of

worship, especially for Bacolorenos who demonstrated their strong faith, undying

spirit and resiliency in times of calamities. The Church was already a renowned

tourist destination prior to lahar tragedies, now both local and foreign tourists

flock to the church whose remaining features were preserved and maintained.

The Retablo of San Guillermo Parish Church

The church boasts of having main retablo, side retablos and pulpit that are heavily gilded with gold leaves. The rich decorations of the church depict the Baroque style of architecture.

OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH

OUR LADY OF LOURDES SHRINE

Located at Barangay Cabetican, it was built in 1985 to serve as the place of pilgrimage for the devotees of Our Lady of Lourdes. Also, its original structure was half buried by the lahar flows from 1991 to 1997.

Diaspora Farm Resort

Agie & Annette Patdu who both hails from Sta Barbara in Bacolor were one of the few brave ones to come back. Since rice farming and vegetable production is no longer feasible, they shifted to Fruit trees like Mangoes, Guyabano, Guava, Santol and many more. The idea is to have family getaway during weekends with their five children.

It was not an overnight task, as many interventions and soil conditioning has to be done to the lahar sand. Irrigation is a major problem as the rivers and waterways have totally disappeared. Farming became a learning experience for the couple as they slowly introduced different farm animals like carabaos, cattles, goats, sheeps, chickens, geese, turkeys, native pigs. The Leisure Farm has progressed and currently applies a Fruit-Based& Livestock Integrated Farming System.

In 2010, additional structures were built including a swimming pool and accommodations transforming it to a Leisure Farm Resort in rural rusting setting. Diaspora Farm Resort is ideal for group activities like Family Reunions, Seminars, Business Planning & Conferences, Team Building, Agritourism activities & Educational Farm Tours for students. Barbara, Bacolor, Pampanga, it is owned by Ms. Annette Cortez-Patdu.

Diaspora Farm Resort

Diaspora Farm Resort

Apag Marangle Restaurant

Located at Sta. Barbara JASA Road Bacolor, Pampanga

Enjoy Kapampangan food in a cozy and breezy cottage in the middle of a vast fishpond, just perfect for laid-back Sunday afternoons with the family. Apag Marangle is a refreshing place where one can enjoy conversation over a home- cooked meal with love

APAG MARANGLE: COMPANY PROFILE

Long time friends and business partners Manuela Cherry Pasion-Tan and Mark Edmon C. Navarro have long been exposed to enriching culinary experiences as both come from families were old-fashioned cooking traces a rich history. The former being a true-blooded Kapampangan, thus a natural cook, breathes a distinct and discriminating taste in food and the latter, a committed believer and lover of nature and traditions.

Their passion for food and its cultural facet led them to establish Apag Marangle in 2008, a restaurant that offers an authentic medley of mouth-watering Kapampangan dishes and related cuisine perfectly complemented by an inviting native architecture that takes the diners to a unique gastronomic journey like no other.

To stay true to its vision of becoming the best Kapampangan restaurant, Apag Marangle strictly maintains its very high standards starting with its fresh produce from its own organic vegetable farm and fishpond, quality ingredients and highly sanitized food preparations.

Its advocacy to environmental causes and cultural preservation through handicrafts and music interweaves with the restaurant’s thrust of becoming a melting pot of cultural and ecological undertakings.

In 2009, following its planned course for expansion, Apag Marangle proudly opens its second branch at the Lake Shore in Mexico, Pampanga.

Apag Marangle, where dining becomes an unforgettable cultural experience.

All these as well as our clientele’s utmost satisfaction and our employees’ holistic development translate to a singular vision of making Apag Marangle the best Kapampangan restaurant in the country.

DON HONORIO VENTURA TECHNOLOGICAL STATEUNIVERSITY ( DHVTSU) – the oldest vocational school in the Far East established in 1861, named then as the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Bacolor later into Pampanga Trade School and thereafter into Don Honorio Ventura Memorial School of Arts and Trade ( DHVMSAT), until it became a state college and renamed Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trade (DHVCAT). Todate, it has been converted into a state university and renamed Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University ( DHVTSU). Despite the lahar tragedy, the Institution continued providing educational services not only to Bacolorenos but to other students coming from the other parts of Pampanga Zambales, Bataan and Bulacan as well. The Institution has served also an instrument to keep the people of Bacolor work together aimed at bringing back the glory of the town that was once the capital of Pampanga and the Philippines for 3 years during the British occupation of Manila. Home to the province’ elite literary geniuses, Bacolor was called the Athens of Pampanga.

Opened in 2005 located at Macabacle Bacolor, Pampanga– with 51 rooms

Amenities: Dining, Spa, Salon, Casino, Resort and Function Hall

SAN GUILLERMO PARISH CHURCH

Bacolor is one of the oldest towns in the Philippines. Its church, the San Guillermo Parish Church stands on the lot owned by Don Guillermo Manabat, a rich landlord believed to be the founder of Bacolor. It is believed that it was named not only after the hermit saint, San Guillermo but also after the church lot’s donor and founder to the town.

The church’ construction was led by the Augustinian Friars in 1576 – also the town's founding missionaries – with Fr. Diego De Ochoa, OSA, as the town's first parish priest.

In 1880, the church was destroyed by an earthquake only to be rebuilt during the term of Fr. Eugenio Alvarez in 1886.

Again, an earthquake destroyed the church in 1897 and its rebuilding was led by Fr. Manuel Diaz. The San Guillermo Church is typical of old Spanish churches. It has a central nave and well-lighted transept with high windows. The main retablo, two side retablos and pulpit were gilded with gold leaf. The richness of the decoration of Bacolor church depicts the advanced stage of baroque and rococo designs of its era.

Months after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on June 15, 1991, destructive lahar started flowing into Bacolor. On September 3, 1995, the most destructive lahar flows from the slopes of Mount Pinatubo,

buried the church at half of its 12 meter height forcing its more than 67,000 town residents to evacuate to resettlement areas located outside of the town.

Housed within the parish church and what used to be the convent is a museum which contains the history of the church. It also contains paintings of the Pinatubo eruption and the destructive lahar episodes from 1991 to 2003.

In spite of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which half-buried the church on the structure is still being used as place of worship. Only half of the original facade of the church can be seen today. After the volcanic eruption, the town’s people painstakingly excavated the altar and the retablos. The church dome ceiling was stripped so that the main and side retablos can be relocated under the dome. The retablos niches are filled with centuries- old statues which were saved from the lahar. The citizens of Bacolor take pride in their rich heritage which is why they carefully excavated the ornately carved main and side retablos and restored them in their original condition

The church is already a world famous tourist destination prior to the lahar tragedies and at present remained being so. The choir area used to comprise the second floor of the church. Through the choir’s loft, one can access the bell tower and a private door leads to the nun’s convent. The choir has one big window and two smaller ones. Today, they have been converted into doors of the church.

The San Guillermo Church has been a venue for various media productions. Foremost of these was the use of this heritage church as the main venue for taping of ABS-CBN primetime show May Bukas Pa from February 2, 2009 to February 5, 2010. The church was allowed to be used for the filming/taping since the concept of the story is of a religious type and it was a big helped for the repair & maintenance of the whole church compound. During the entire production of the show, many foreign & local tourists came visiting the church because of its exposure.

The San Guillermo Church is now known as the Sunken Church of Bacolor. It has become world- renowned tourist destination. Tourists who flock to the church are not only awed by its remaining features that were being preserved and maintained but more so as a living manifestation of the town residents’ resiliency and undying faith in God.

DIASPORA RESORT

A private resort in a rural rustic-setting ideal for group activities like family outings, retreats, seminars, leisure camping, team building and much more.

Address: Sta. Barbara Bacolor, Pampanga Cell Number: 0917 841 5692